by Bryan Ruby, Bethel Christian Writers facilitator
A God Moment. Maybe you had one this week smack dab in the middle of your business or day off. Could’ve been ten years ago and a tingle still travels down your spine with just the memory of it. Might be you had one and wrote it off as dumb luck, or worse, a twist of fate.
Our day-to-day faith walk is dependent on the indwelling Holy Spirit (Helper, Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor, Counselor), and the ways the Lord keeps our path straight: by an unseen hand, an inner whisper that makes a decision so right, and how Jesus lives and works in us by weaving our daily lives together with threads of eternity in mind (John 14:26, Proverbs 3:5-6, Psalm 119:105).
But a God Moment is deeper. Something surreal. Like a Holy Ghost cherry on top of your banana split spiritual journey. And hold on to your socks, dare I say supernatural? Where you know that you know that you know the curtain was pulled back for an instance, and you had a front row seat to the Creator’s handy work. God Moments.
I’ve used this expression for years and thought I owned it. That was until the wise Google set me straight. Come to find out, it’s all over the internet. An online preacher had the nerve to have a sermon series entitled, “God Moments.” As writers, our number one commandment is, "Thou shalt not plagiarize." So, feel free to use my expression—you’re welcome. It’s already in the cloud anyway. Wherever that is.
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This unforgettable God Moment happened in 1989 while I was attending college in Kirkland, WA. Joan and our eight-year-old daughter, Brea, her cousin, Tyler, and I were headed out on vacation to the happiest place on earth. Bet you thought I was going to say Disneyland. Sorry. Our happy place is the ocean—where you can breathe salt air, let sand squish between your toes, and drop that heavy load on your back into the waves and let it wash out with the evening tide.
We were all smiles as our Chevy Corsica entered the on-ramp and claimed its lane on I-405. Breezing through Bellevue along with a thousand other Mercedes and BMWs, we were stampeding toward one of the weirdest sections of pavement ever designed—the infamous Renton S-curves.
Imagine a horizontal rollercoaster with hairpin turns and stomach-dropping plunges and panicked screams. That, my friends, describes the Renton S-curves to a T before they somewhat straightened them several years later. Add to the thrill, three and four lanes so narrow you could easily give the Jag driver a fist bump next to you while streaking along at sixty-five or seventy miles per hour.
I’m not admitting my speed on that memorable morning, but sometimes you just have to go with the flow. And flow we did. Until the far-right lane I was in suddenly and without warning (I’d missed the ‘lane ending’ sign) came to an abrupt end while rounding a bridge with no shoulder.
There was zero time to react. Zero time to speed up or slow down. The Corsica was caged in with tons of concrete rushing toward the passenger’s side, and a mile of truck so close to my window I could’ve tapped the aluminum trailer.
Then it happened. I stiffened and gripped the steering wheel for the inevitable impact, while Joan’s near scream, “Help us, Jesus!” filled the air.
And . . . nothing. When I say nothing, what I mean to say is no mile of truck or tons of concrete making us a Corsica sandwich. The Semi was simply gone. With white knuckles, I glided over to the empty lane and into the flow of traffic.
Needless to say, I took the first available off-ramp. The four of us were alive, unharmed, and to top it all off, my underwear was still dry. When our trembling and breathing slowed, we knew we’d just experienced a miracle—a God Moment.
This fall marks my fiftieth spiritual birthday. I’d like to tell you there’ve been many of these God Moments in my life. But the truth is, there’s only been a handful of those, where I knew that I knew His curtain had been pulled back for just an instance. For me.
Wouldn’t it be great to have one every once and a while? But it’s more His unseen hand, a whisper in the darkness of decision, and Jesus living in our lives day by day that lights our paths to make them straight.
When you get a chance, sit down for a latte or a mocha freeze with someone and share your God Moment. Bet you’ve had a Corsica sandwich experience, too. They are true faith-builders. And, if you’ve never had one, ask God to pull back the curtain so you can have a front row seat to His amazing handwork. Believe me, you’ll never forget that Holy Ghost cherry on top.
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ABOUT BETHEL CHRISTIAN WRITERS
Bethel Christian writers shares inspirational, encouraging, or real-life experiences built around our faith in Jesus. To learn more, contact Bryan Ruby (eastsiderubys@yahoo.com).
